Big turnout for early voting in St. Joseph County

November 03, 2008|By MEGAN BALDINO WSBT-TV Reporter

SOUTH BEND Â? Election Day is Tuesday, and a year when the president is decided always generates more interest. More than 12 percent of Indiana's 4.5 million registered voters have cast early, absentee ballots.

In St. Joseph County, as the early voting process was wrapping up, you could find no busier woman than County Clerk Rita Glenn.

Â?We only have so many hands that can work,Â? said Glenn, Â?so we are asking people to be patient.Â?

No one busier, no one more stressed. A day before the election and at the County-City Building there were long lines.

"No, I was not expecting a big line when I came in this morning," said South Bend voter D'veda Farrell.

"This is a long line,Â? said Marten Perez of Mishawaka, Â?but thereÂ?s just a lot of excitement about this election season."

At the Mishawaka Municipal Building it was the same story.

"I didnÂ?t think there would be this many people, especially on a Monday," said Robert Couture of Mishawaka.

Â?I think it's considerably smaller compared to the one in downtown South Bend,Â? said Mishawaka voter Rea Gentry.

Monday morning in Mishawaka, there were some reports of problems during early voting, but Glenn says it was mostly a few voters getting a little impatient.

Â?We need people to be patient,Â? she said. Â?They have to realize they can come to vote, but there is a lot of paperwork with absentee voting. It'd be different if they go to the polls, itÂ?s shorter. They hand in their ID, and they are registered, and they get a ballot. We're not discouraging people from voting [early], but it's going to take longer.Â?

With so many voting early, it's expected there will be high voter turnout Tuesday as well. The message from Rita Glenn is the same.

"We are asking for a little patience, we are doing the best we can," she said.

A little patience and a little appreciation for a staff that has already put in a lot of overtime before Election Day.

If you didn't vote early, click here to find your polling place and get more information about voting on Election Day.